CFTRI holds ‘Aarambh’ Road Show to connect Startups, Scientists, Students, Investors

Mysore/Mysuru: CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI), Mysuru, had recently organised “Aarambh,” a Road Show event to connect Startups, Scientists,  Students and Investors at its premises in city as part of ecosystem partner to the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and  Global Bio-India (GBI) Summit-2023.

The event was inaugurated by Sudhanva Dhananjaya, Founder and CEO of Excelsoft Technologies, Mysuru, in the presence of Dr. Debanjana Dey, Senior Programme Manager, BIRAC, New Delhi. Dr.Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, presided.

The dignitaries also launched the new website of the upcoming BioNEST (Bioincubators Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies) bio-incubation facility at the institute with the support of BIRAC. 

Speaking on the occasion, Sudhanva explained how early-stage entrepreneurs can get access to capital and financial assistance. He advised start-ups not to get too overwhelmed with success nor dejected with failures and that it was crucial to balance both success and failure in order to attain sustained growth and long-term success.

Dr.DebanjanaDey spoke about BIRAC and its various initiatives to support start-ups, entrepreneurs and MSMEs along their ecosystem that nurtures the biotechnology sector through different programmes.

She also encouraged the participants to be part of Global Bio- India Summit-2023 being held at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from Dec. 4 to 6 wherein a large number of startups will participate.

The Summit will feature 3,000 plus delegates and over 500 exhibitors from across the globe to connect the Indian Biotechnology ecosystem with the International ecosystem.

Dr.Sridevi Annapurna Singh spoke about the long-standing relationship that the institute has with industries. Speaking on various incubator facilities at CFTRI, she said how these facilities can cater to facilitate start-ups at different phases. 

Dr. Vikas Singh Chauhan, Chief Scientist, CSIR-CFTRI, spoke about the achievements of the existing NPIC-CIF (Nutra-Phyto Incubation Centre and Common Instrumentation Facility)  incubator facility in CFTRI and about the initiatives being taken by CSIR-CFTRI to strengthen the incubation facility at the Institute to support startups.

Dr. Srilakshmi Desiraju, CEO of AA Probiocs, spoke about the  importance of gut microbiome and how they play a key role in immunity. She also acknowledged the role of CFTRI in contributing to the growth of emerging market trends in the food sector. She discussed on how Mysuru is fast becoming the go-to destination for food startups due to its rich support ecosystem.

Later, an interactive panel discussion was held on how entrepreneurs could avail funding from private investors, public banks and from Government agencies for their start-ups.

B. Kiran, Chief Manager for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, SBI, Mysuru; Dr. Mahesh Rao, CEO of Aashaya Design Solutions, Dr.SrilakshmiDesiraju, CEO of AA Probiocs and Dr.DebanjanaDey, Sr. Programme Manager from BIRAC, were the panellists and the session was moderated by R.S. Matche, Chief Scientist, CSIR-CFTRI.

Minnu Nandini, Human Resource and Administrative Officer,  Sapizon Technologies, spoke about recruitment opportunities and how it is important for students to develop soft  skills so as to help them get better job opportunities.

Basavaraj, Cofounder of  Auxochromofours Pvt Ltd., spoke about “Fostering Innovation” and the need for startups to be receptive to new ideas and  constantly innovate so as to increase profitability and their  market shares.

The final session was a fireside chat about the success stories emerging from CFTRI’s incubation facility.

Dr.Anudeep, Co-Founder, DhrithiBiosolutions, Dr.Yashaswini, Co-CEO, Mycovation and Dr. Raja Rajan, Founder of Neu Fun Foods LLP, shared their experiences and journey.

Pavan Kumar, Manager of BioNEST incubation facility, CSIR-CFTRI moderated the session.

Food based startups can now reach out to CSIR-CFTRI for more information on their bio-incubators by visiting its website.